Ultimate Assassin Saga: Tundra

If Acheron had his way, he would make allies with one of the Barbarian Tribes, and if he knew his brother, he would somehow manage to draw all of the Barbarian tribes under his wing. He couldn't have that happening because he needed his brother weak enough for him to take out and it was going to be difficult enough as it was without having to worry about a nation of Barbarians. He ran through his thoughts of who to send to disrupt his brother and he smiled as a thought occurred to him. There was one person that would relish in disrupting his brother because he'd always been behind Acheron in rank and he would love to disrupt - if not kill - his brother himself.

That sort of rivalry breeded anger and resentment so he was sure that the Demon he had in mind would love to take on the job. After all, if he killed the Command Assassin, that would mean he would go up in rank and replace Acheron as the Command Assassin. Every assassin in Dalkia had their eyes on the Command Assassin office, but because of Acheron's power and the fact that he put down everyone who challenged him with brutality, everyone hesitated before challenging him. It was that, coupled with his own skills, that allowed Acheron to hold the rank as long as he had.

However, there was another part that he needed to tie up and he had to make sure that the loose end was tied up effectively. The loose end was that of the Amazons and the Wood Elves. If his brother had alliances within the Wilds, he could use them and he wanted him isolated. The only way for him to do that was to use a single person that would know Acheron well enough to fake being allies with the man and that he'd been sent there at the behest of the Chaos Demon to watch out for them. Of course, the Amazons and Wood Elves weren't fools so they would make sure that he wasn't there to destroy them, but they would fail to figure that out. They were only Humans and Wood Elves after all.

The Emperor turned away from the balcony and walked back into his office. The room was well lit and that exposed the furnishings of the room. The floor was covered in a thick dark red carpet that effectively kept the sound from boot steps muffled. There was a book shelf pushed up against one wall and the book shelf was stacked full of different colored books bound in linen, leather, and paper. The huge mahogany desk dominated the room and on top of the desk in the corner was a globe of golden light to illuminate what he was doing. Usually, he was doing paperwork and little else, but as of late, he'd turned away the paperwork so he could deal with the traitor.

No one was allowed to betray the Empire, not even one of the two men who'd helped to build it. Acheron had been a General at one time, leading the campaigns to take over the land that was now considered Dalkian. He'd been a powerful warrior and he'd seemed completely loyal to his brother and the Empire they were buildings. Dalkia had started off as a small Kingdom that barely spanned fifty miles, but under the direction of Acheron, the Empire had grown and Azrieal had been the ruler of it all. They had set rules - not laws - in place that everyone had to adhere to and no one was higher than the rules, not even the Emperor himself. Of course, if he wanted to, he could suspend the rules and do whatever he wanted, but he wanted at least the semblance of order to his Empire. Otherwise, it might fall apart.

The Chaos Demon walked behind his desk and he pulled back his chair. He sat down in the chair and he leaned forward, putting his forearms on the wood of the desk. He stared into the darkness of the room, noting that anything could be lurking there, but nothing would hurt him. He had a constant spell on himself, armoring his skin against claws and blades alike. The only thing he couldn't block against was spells with his armored skin, but nothing that came after him would be stupid enough to use magic against him. He was a reputed to be a powerful Mage and anyone in the Empire would know that so they wouldn't try to use magic against him.

Azrieal knew that he had to summon them and do so quickly. If he didn't get the plan put into place right now, it might not work and he couldn't have that happening. He needed to have this plan go off flawlessly so he could have his brother brought back to him in chains if possible and he would be the one to kill him himself. With that thought in mind, he reached under his tunic and pulled out the crystal amulet, closing his fingers around it.

'I need you here now.' the Emperor said telepathically to the Demon that he'd made contact with and he felt the acquiesces of the other party. Then, he moved on to the next mind and he knew that this one might not be as easy. After all, he was a Clan Lord and he wasn't likely not to blindly accept what he asked for. 'I need your assistance. One of your people.'

'What do you need of one of mine? I barely have enough to spare.' the Clan Lord replied, his voice angry as he'd believed that he would be. It didn't surprise him that Lord Shido of the Blood Demons wanted little to do with his plans. The Blood Demons birthed so very few each generation, but for every ten males that was born, only one female was born which created a huge difference in the birth ratio. It was this reason that they protected their females so strongly and didn't want anyone interfering with their Clan actions.

'I need you to send Breal to me tomorrow. I have a job for him and he can not refuse. If you do refuse this request, it will become an order, and if you refuse once more, your Clan will be destroyed.' Azrieal answered and it was no idle threat. He cut off his connection with the Blood Demon Lord and he sat back in his chair, smiling widely as the plan was falling nicely into place.

Suddenly, the Chaos Demon sensed magic manifesting in his office and he readied a spell just in case. He was sure who it was, but it never hurt to be sure. Letting down your guard earned you one thing and one thing only: a dagger in your back. There was a loud sound like lightning, and suddenly, the creature that he'd summoned appeared in front of him. He knew who the creature was and what his specialty was, but he knew that the creature liked to keep its face a secret. That was why it wore an ankle length black cloak with a high hood to cover his head and a mask to cover his face.

There was nothing better than anonymity.

The cloaked figure stepped forward, walking fluidly up to his desk and he stood there, staring down at him. His dark Grey eyes glowed out from under the hood and he saw the power in the Demon's eyes. He wasn't intimidated by this like he knew that many others would be and he knew that the other Demon knew that. The other Demon was an Elemental type Demon and those were some of the most feared Demons in the Empire, next to the Chaos Demons. This one was much more powerful than his other counterparts however and that was one of the reasons why he'd summoned the Demon in the first place.

"I have a job for you and I believe that it's a job that you will relish in performing." Azrieal told the Elemental Demon with a smile. The other man did nothing, just stood there and continued to stare at him. He smiled wider as he sat back in his chair and he crossed his legs as he looked over the cloaked form in front of him. He did look very imposing and ominous so he could understand how some people would be intimidating by this creature. Then, he began to lay out the plan to the other Demon, and when he was done, the Demon bowed his head low. The creature turned around and disappeared the same way that he'd appeared - suddenly.

It had begun.

Breal stared up at the blood red sky and watched as lightning struck across the sky. A lesser man would've been afraid, but not he. No, he rather liked the darkness and the macabre sight the sky of Dalkia imposed on its viewers. He knew that many others were afraid of the blood red sky and the black lightning, but they got use to it quickly enough. Maybe it was because he'd grown up under the sky that he was unafraid of it and actually enjoyed it, but he didn't really know. Who knew the mind and feelings of others, especially their selves? He surely didn't know and he didn't know anyone who knew why they felt the way they felt or thought the way they thought.

He was about medium height, about five foot ten, and slender. He had nape length blood red hair that fell around his face wildly and blood red eyes set in an alabaster, emotionless face. He wore a short sleeve black shirt, black linen pants, ankle high black leather boots, a black leather belt, and a glossy black knee length cloak with a wide hood that he wore over his head. Even though he wore a cloak, he knew that anyone with Demon blood would be able to sense what he was and would know who he was in an instant.

He was highly hated by all other Demons in the Empire and that was because of what he was. He was Half Blood Demon and Half Human. His very existence was something that shouldn't have been possible because of the mandate by the Lord of the Clan himself. The mandate ordered that no one of the Blood Demon Clan take a Mate or even have sex with anyone outside of the Clan. They didn't want a bunch of half breeds running around and shaming them. Blood Demons were all about purity of their race and the Clan Lord was the most vain about keeping the Clan pure.

The punishment for breaking this mandate was death for both parents and the child was to die with its mother in the womb. For some reason though, Shido had allowed his mother to live long enough to give birth to Breal and then she'd been killed. Many believed that Breal was nothing more than a slave within the Clan to be used however they saw fit, but all of those rumors came from the outside of the Blood Demon Clan. The actual facts were that he wasn't treated any differently from the rest of the Clan and Lord Shido himself had trained him in battle.

To this day the Half Demon didn't understand why the Blood Demon Lord would allow him to live and treat him so well, but he wasn't going to complain. After all, he got to live and he rather enjoyed living. There were those within the Clan that would love to see him dead, but they were too cowardly to do it themselves. It had been told at his birth to the entire Clan that anyone that tried to kill him would meet their end at the end of the Lord's claws. Why he'd made such an announcement, no one knew, but no one had ever attempted to kill him, though there were plenty of threats against his life.

Despite his good standing in the Clan and his skills, he wasn't allowed a partner. Because of the difference in the ratio between the genders of the Clan, every male was partnered with another male to release sexual tension. Even when a male found a female Mate, they kept their partner for life and the two males often shared the single female as equal Mates. There wasn't a single male that wanted to partner with him because of his Half Human blood and none of their parents could blame them. So, he had no partner and he would probably never have a Blood Demon either, but that didn't really matter to him at all.

Breal wasn't a sexual person and he didn't concern himself with sex. All that mattered to him was survival and he was quite good at staying alive. He carried no blades on him for several reasons, but the main reason was because of what he was. Blood Demons didn't use weapons of any kind. Blood Demons were known for their high speed and their razor sharp claws. Breal was no different when it came to how he killed and that was something that the other Blood Demons couldn't accuse him of was fighting like a Human.

While the majority of Demons hated Humans, most were willing to accept them and work beside them as long as they were cutthroats. The same thing could not be said for the Blood Demon Clan. Blood Demons hated Humans wholeheartedly, no matter if they were noble Knights or dark rogues. They believed that Humans were all useless, weak creatures that did nothing except for destroy land and breed. While the breeding was true, he didn't think that Humans were all useless. In fact, he was fairly certain that there were Humans out there who were just as deadly and just as fearless as any Demon Clan Lord.

Of course, to say that out loud would be blasphemy and could earn him a death sentence. Then again, just being conceived in his mother's stomach should have been a death sentence, but he'd been allowed to live. The Half Demon shook his head and lowered his eyes to the street, looking at each and every being that passed by him, expecting a knife in the back at any second, but not one of them pulled a dagger. In fact, they all looked scared of him as they scurried past and he nearly frowned. Why would they be scared of the one that they had scorned for so long?

It made no sense to him. Six months ago, everywhere he went he had been forced to defend himself from bigots who thought he was weak because of his Human blood. Then, after that fateful day in the pub, he had no longer had to do that and people gave him a wide berth. His thoughts turned to that day and what had happened. The Command Assassin, Acheron, had interfered and then had warned everyone that if they messed with him that they messed with him. Was that why they were afraid of the Half Demon all of a sudden? Because of the threat of the Command Assassin?

It was possible of course. Breal knew that the Command Assassin was the second most feared man in the Empire and everyone cowered when he looked upon them. He was a scary individual that was for sure. He was huge and intimidating with his height combined with his muscular frame. It would be one thing if he was simply big, but he wasn't. He was also powerful and skilled with a blade. Also, he was the younger brother of the Emperor and that made him just as feared.

He knew the man's reputation and he knew that he was deadly when it came to those who would challenge him. He knew that upstarts believed the Chaos Demon had only gotten his rank because he was the Emperor's brother, but he knew better than that. The Chaos Demon was powerful and skilled, of that he'd seen with his own two eyes. He hadn't gotten where he was because he was the brother of the Emperor, but because of his place in helping to carve out the Empire in the first place with his own blade as the General of the campaigning armies.

The Half Demon was drawn from his reverie when he felt a summons in his mind and he knew what that meant. He was to meet with the Lord of the Blood Demon Clan and go over something that was very important. Whatever that was, he knew that Lord Shido would want to tell him right away and he would want him to come to the Blood Demon compound right away. If he was tardy, the Blood Demon Lord wouldn't be very happy and he only existed because of the man. He was loyal to Lord Shido and to his credos, no one else. If the man asked him to assassinate the Emperor, he would do it and not give it a second thought.

He turned sharply and he walked down the marble streets back towards the Blood Demon compound. He knew that he walked past many other Demon Clan compounds, but not one of them poked their heads out or tried to stop him. He was the favored son of the Blood Demon Clan, and no matter their hatred for the Human blood that coursed through him, none of them would take a chance of angering the Blood Demon Clan. Next to the Chaos Demons, the Blood Demons were the most feared of all types of Demons and no one would are challenge them because of their abilities. He often relished in having Blood Demon blood coursing through his veins, but at other times, he hated it. It was an ongoing complex that he had and it wasn't likely to change.

Breal walked past well armored and armed guards of the other Demon Clan homes without fear. The men and women looked upon him, but they said nothing nor did they act upon their obvious distaste of his presence. It was obvious that they didn't like him, but they feared the Blood Demon Lord more than they hated him and wouldn't dare act on it. He continued to walk, not paying them any attention as he strode straight past them and his cloak whirled around him, presenting him like a whirling, insubstantial creature. It was an eerie sight indeed when coupled with what he was.

The Half Demon rounded the next corner and stopped. Not ten feet in front of him was the huge and imposing Blood Demon Clan compound. It was a large, sprawling estate made of black stone with large windows though all of them were magicked to only allow someone to see out, not in. The gates in front of the compound were huge and iron wrought, magicked to keep spells from getting through. There were guards out in front, wearing their cloaks and their razor sharp claws glinting in the low light. Behind the gate, there were other, smaller homes that housed non-noble members of the Blood Demon Clan and they were all the same square shaped black stone build.

He started walking again, and when he approached the front gates, he saw the two guards turn their eyes to him. However, neither one of them showed any emotion on their emotions and he had expected little else. The Blood Demons were known for their speed, razor sharp claws, and most especially their lack of emotions. They were deadly and fierce, but one could never read a Blood Demon, not even other Blood Demons. The Blood Demon guards moved aside, one of them reaching back to touch the lock to the gates and they slid open slowly, giving him enough space to slide through, but only barely.

He said nothing to the guards as he walked through the gates and into the courtyard. There was a fountain that was spouting silver water into the basin below in the very center. The statue in the middle of the fountain was carved of marble and was done in the features of a deadly transformed Blood Demon tearing apart several Humans that had come against him in armor and carrying weapons. He blinked a couple of times and he walked across the courtyard towards the double doors of the castle. He opened the double mahogany doors of the castle and he stepped into the hallway beyond.

The hallway was barely lit, only one burning torch halfway down the hallway that washed a circle of golden light into the hallway and gave one's that walked into the castle a destination to walk to. The carpet was thick and the color of blood as he walked over it, his boots making no noise. On the walls were tapestries and paintings of the many battles the Blood Demon Clan had been through in the beginning of the Empire when it was just a small Kingdom. The Blood Demon Clan had been behind the Command Assassin Acheron and had followed their General closely to create the Empire that they all lived in. It was because of that cooperation among the different Clans and how Acheron had drawn all of them under his wing to lead them that Dalkia was as large and successful as it was.

Reaching the end of the hallway, the Half Human stepped out into the audience chamber and heard the sound of his boot steps on what he knew to be blood red marble steps. The room was completely dark, but he could see perfectly as if it was daylight and he walked to the middle of the room, stopping. There wasn't a single window in the room and didn't allow any light in from the outside. Not that there was any light outside anyway due to the blood red sky and the black lightning, but that wasn't the point. Suddenly, a light flared in the middle of the roof and cast golden light all around the audience chamber, illuminating what he had already been able to see in the first place.

Twenty feet in front of him was a raised blood red dais of six marble blood red steps and atop the dais was a silver throne. The throne was made of pure silver with thick legs and arms. Embedded in the arms of the throne were rubies, diamonds, emeralds, aquamarines, and topaz stones. However, what he paid the most attention to was the man that was sitting in the silver throne and the power that seemed to radiate from the man. Power should radiate from him considering he was the Lord of the Blood Demon Clan and third most feared Demon in all of Dalkia, Shido.